Eight years after The Last Jedi, I think I will finally have to give up on the idea of Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy ever happening. Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been the most interesting part of the franchise for the better part of the last decade, if only for its divisiveness. The Last Jedi is regarded by many as one of the worst-ranked Star Wars movies, while others see it as a bold, unique take on the mythos created by George Lucas.

As a result, The Last Jedi split the fanbase into two halves, and it is still yet to recover. Upcoming Star Wars movies seem to be more conventionally pleasing than The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the latter of which caused more division based on how it tried to appease both haters and fans of the former. In the years since the 2017 movie, writer-director Rian Johnson has received his fair share of criticism and praise for The Last Jedi. Due to this confusing reception, I think it is time to accept that the trilogy Johnson had planned will never happen.

Lucasfilm Planned A New Rian Johnson Star Wars Trilogy Before The Last Jedi Was Even Released

The Star Wars Producers Had Faith In Johnson & Episode VIII

Rian Johnson’s prospective Star Wars trilogy is almost as interesting a case study as Star Wars: The Last Jedi itself. In November 2017, a month before The Last Jedi was released worldwide in theaters, an article was posted on Star Wars’ official website. This article revealed that Rian Johnson had been asked to write and direct a Star Wars trilogy, set to be a standalone series of films separate from the overarching narrative of the Skywalker Saga.

What made this announcement so interesting was the fact that it came before The Last Jedi‘s theatrical release. This timeline and the statement from Lucasfilm highlighted just how proud the company was of The Last Jedi and how smoothly the production had gone under Johnson’s watch, which led to more stories being planned before any reviews of Episode VIII were released online. However, only a month later, the Star Wars fandom imploded.

Rian Johnson’s Trilogy Has Been In Limbo For Years

Mainly Due To The Last Jedi’s Divisive Reaction

Upon the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the division the movie had caused became immediately clear. Audiences around the globe began arguing with one another over whether the movie was a great continuation of the Skywalker Saga or a disgrace to the world and characters George Lucas had built decades earlier. As a result of this intense, vitriolic-fueled debate, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy entered a state of limbo. The director subsequently took a step back from Star Wars, focusing on the murder mystery franchise he created: Knives Out.

After Knives Out‘s success, Johnson ran headfirst into the whodunnit genre with two sequels to Knives Out – Glᴀss Onion, released in 2022, and Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man, set to release in December 2025. Despite the division The Last Jedi had caused, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy was often asked about the trilogy that was planned before its release, simply stating that Johnson was focused on Knives Out for the foreseeable future, but that the door would always be open for those three movies to happen. For the last eight years, this state of “maybe” is all that has been said about Rian Johnson’s Star Wars trilogy.

I’m Afraid It Sounds Like This Project Has Been Canceled – Can It Ever Be Reborn?

The Door Is Open, But For How Long?

As someone who really enjoys The Last Jedi – controversially, I know – I have been endlessly disappointed by the lack of news about Johnson’s trilogy. The majority of the criticism of Johnson’s writing came from his handling of legacy Star Wars characters, yet I believe it worked. Moreover, once removed from the nostalgia and storylines people ᴀssociate with the likes of Luke Skywalker, for example, I truly think Johnson’s writing could make for an excellent Star Wars trilogy. Therefore, I am afraid to say it seems as though the trilogy will never happen.

The state of limbo is simply too long to think otherwise, and the vitriolic hate against The Last Jedi has not really died down, almost a decade later. Given how much Lucasfilm tried to appease fans and scramble together The Rise of Skywalker to rectify the mistakes of The Last Jedi, I doubt the company would risk its reputation further by allowing Johnson to return. There is still a glimmer of hope, but not one that instills much confidence.

In 2025, Rian Johnson commented on the possibility of the planned Star Wars trilogy ever coming to fruition. Johnson reiterated the same words Kennedy has for the past eight years, stating he has been focused on other properties. Johnson did say that returning to Star Wars would make him the “happiest person,” but this is hardly a confirmation. So long as Johnson is happy to return to Star Wars, my slim hope remains, but the near-decade of limbo does not indicate his trilogy is anywhere near imminent.